


we're not the same as who we were before (does it matter anymore?)

by itisjosh



Series: change won't come if we don't begin [22]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Burns, Childhood Friends, Enemies to Friends, Fluff, Friends to Enemies, Gen, Humor, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Old Friends, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Reconciliation, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27640952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: No one ever told Quackity that friendship was so hard.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Jschlatt
Series: change won't come if we don't begin [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939360
Comments: 25
Kudos: 223





	we're not the same as who we were before (does it matter anymore?)

This isn't the first time that Quackity's spent his morning bandaging Schlatt's back. "Ow," Schlatt sighs, shifting a little. "Careful, Big Q. I'm in agony." 

Quackity rolls his eyes, smearing some of the burn cream over Schlatt's neck. "Keep that up, and I'm gonna throw you in the goddamn snow," it's less of a threat, more of a promise. Though, after everything they've been through, Quackity is pretty sure that Schlatt knows he's joking. When he found Schlatt just wandering around, his face half-covered in burns, Quackity didn't know what the fuck he was supposed to do. Sure, he and Schlatt were technically enemies, but he wasn't just going to leave him there to _die_. They had way too much history for Quackity to just do that. "How're your hands?" 

"I can't feel anything in my hands, Big Q," Schlatt laughs, and it's less of the maniacal cackle Quackity has become accustomed to. "When I grabbed those iron bars back in the camp, I ended up frying my fuckin' nerves. My back hurts like hell, though. And my neck," Schlatt murmurs. "Do you think you could just, like, shoot me?"

"Nah," Quackity snorts, rolling out the gauze. "You deserve the suffering. I'm getting rid of your alcohol." 

Schlatt is quiet for a bit, just like Quackity thought he'd be. "Okay."

"Okay?" Quackity raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Okay."

"You're not going to fight me?"

"No," he murmurs. "No. I'm not gonna.." Schlatt sighs. "You're right. I'm not drunk right now, so I can kind of tell that you're right. You'll have to keep an eye on me," he laughs, wheezing when he does. "I think I inhaled a fuck ton of smoke, Big Q." 

Quackity nods, wrapping up Schlatt's hands next. He might not be able to feel anything, but that doesn't mean they won't still get infected. "I'm glad you're not being a dick about this. You're lucky that I'm.." he pauses, not entirely sure what he wants to say. He wants to be angry, but he's too tired to be angry. It's partially his fault, he thinks. If he had decided to not pool his votes with Schlatt, none of this would've happened. Wilbur would have won the election, and everything would have been fine. If he had stopped Schlatt before he started to drink, maybe..whatever. That's the past.

"You're what?" Schlatt asks, his voice soft. "You stopped talking, Alex."

He pauses at the name, shifting uncomfortably. It's been a long time since Schlatt's called him that. The last time Quackity remembers Schlatt using that name for him was back in the camp. "I was just thinking," he murmurs, turning Schlatt's hand over. "You know I'm mad at you, right?"

"Of course I do," Schlatt laughs. "I always know when you're mad at me. I'm sorry," he offers, and Quackity knows that it's genuine. He's always been able to tell when Schlatt's genuine. It's been a while, but he still can tell. "I'm not good at apologies or whatever, but I _am_ sorry. I've already said that, but, uh..yeah. Why didn't you go with everyone else? Everyone is gone, Quackity. No one else is here."

"Dream and Techno are," he sighs. "And Sapnap and George, and so is Fundy. I might have been on their side, but that doesn't mean that we were friends. Plus," Quackity shrugs, moving away for a second. "It's always been us, hasn't it? Ever since the camp," he takes Schlatt's left hand, frowning at the swelling. "This is infected, you dumbass."

Schlatt laughs, leaning closer to him. "You know what that means, don't you? You gotta kiss it better." Quackity stares at him for a second, cracking a grin when Schlatt bursts out into maniacal laughter, nearly doubling himself over with how hard he's laughing. 

"I am _not_ kissing that," Quackity laughs, poking Schlatt's palm. "It's got like, pus and shit in it!" He turns away, grabbing the first aid kid on the table. Quackity's fucking thankful he decided to build a house and load it with useful shit. It's probably the best idea he's had in a while. "I'm not kissing you at all, actually. Don't get any fucking ideas, you asshole." Schlatt wheezes, his eyes crinkling at the sides. Quackity can't help but smile, feeling nostalgic. The last time Schlatt's eyes did that was when they were kids. Back in the camp, all those years ago. Fuck, how long has it been, now? Schlatt's only twenty, right? And he's..holy fuck, it hasn't even been that long. Schlatt was thirteen or so when Quackity met him, and he was twelve. They escaped when Schlatt was sixteen and he was fifteen, and it's only been..it's only been four years.

It's hard to believe that four years ago, Quackity was still living his life in a cage, getting beaten for shit he didn't even do. It's even harder to believe that _Fundy_ was there. He looks so different now, and..Quackity wonders if Fundy even remembers his life then. Quackity thought that Fundy was younger than him, but he's the same age as Schlatt, and it's fucking _weird_. Everything is weird. 

"But if you don't kiss it better, how am I supposed to live?" Schlatt asks, dramatically throwing his right hand over his heart. "Please? I'll kiss you back."

"I- do _not_ ," Quackity laughs, flipping him off. "I don't even want to think about your lips anywhere near me," Schlatt looks at him with pleading eyes, his bottom lip trembling. "If you start fucking crying, I swear to _god_ , Schlatt-"

"I'm gonna start crying if you don't kiss it better!"

"It's infected!" Quackity points at it, curling his lip up. "It's infected! Look at that shit, it's fucking _gross!_ Even if it _wasn't_ infected, I'm not kissing you! Or that! Or your hand!"

"This is just bullying," Schlatt whines, pouting. Quackity is going to beat him to death. "This is bullying, and I don't think it should be allowed."

He sighs. "I'm going to beat the shit out of you, Schlatt. I'm going to throw you in the snow, and if that doesn't kill you, I'm going to drown you." 

"Well," Schlatt grins. "That's just rude." 

" _Anyways_ ," Quackity clears his throat, glancing towards the door. "What's next? Everyone else is basically gone, and I don't think they're coming back. I don't know if we can set up a portal to go somewhere else. There's not a lot left for us, and there's..the future isn't lookin' bright, you know?"

Schlatt nods, going quiet for a little. "Wanna rebuild?"

"What?"

"L'manberg," he explains. "Wilbur blew the place up. We could fix it up again, rename it to L'manberg. I'm not the President anymore, but that doesn't mean.." he pauses. "Who really needs government, anyways?" Schlatt laughs. "Let's just rebuild the place. I'm thinking that spruce would look really good."

Quackity smiles, tilting his head a little as he thinks. "I..yeah. I think we could do that. Fundy's a good builder, too. We could ask him to help."

"Fundy hates me."

"And so do I," Quackity grins. "But that's never meant anything, now has it?" Schlatt snorts, smiling a little more. 

"Your definition of hate is very different to his. If we're using the same hate, then I hate you, too." 

Quackity isn't sure when they changed the word "love" to "hate", but he isn't going to question it. He hates Schlatt too much to care, anyways. "Then I guess he loves you, huh?" Schlatt wheezes, ducking his head.

"I guess he does. We can rebuild. Maybe if anyone ever comes back, they'll fuckin' help out for once," Schlatt pushes himself off of the table. "Come on, Big Q. New L'manberg isn't gonna build itself." 

Quackity smiles, trudging along next to his best friend. The longer he walks, the more he realises that so long as he has Schlatt, he'll be okay. 


End file.
